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Penn Badgley

Penn Badgley

Actor · Born November 1, 1986 (39) · Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Independent Spirit Award winner

Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor. He is primarily known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series Gossip Girl (2007–2012) and Joe Goldberg in the Netflix thriller series You (2018–2025). For Gossip Girl, he received six Teen Choice Award nominations, and for You, he earned MTV Movie & TV Award and Saturn Award nominations. Badgley first became known for portraying Phillip Chancellor IV on the soap opera The Young and the Restless (2000–2001), which earned him a Young Artist Award nomination, and he followed this with roles in the comedy films John Tucker Must Die (2006) and Drive-Thru (2007). Badgley went on to appear in a number of films, such as the thriller The Stepfather (2009), the teen comedy-drama Easy A (2010), the financial thriller Margin Call (2011), the biographical film Greetings from Tim Buckley (2012) and the independent drama The Paper Store (2016). For Margin Call, he won an Independent Spirit Award.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 1, 1986 (39)
From
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 22% in 30 days

What are Penn Badgley's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 6th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
30%
Bonds
27%
Power
14%
Morality
13%
Survival
11%
Society
5%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 3 of 7 analyzed roles.

Hero
3 of 7
Mentor
1 of 7
Ally
1 of 7
Shadow
1 of 7
Trickster
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Dread
5
Melancholic
5
Absurd
4
Hopeful
3
Other
16

How their films linger

Unsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Penn Badgley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Penn Badgley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Birthday Cake(2021)

    as Peeno

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Here Today(2021)

    as Rex

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • You(2018)

    Show 50 episodes · Director · as Joe Goldberg

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Adam Green's Aladdin(2016)

    as Prince

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Paper Store (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Sigurd Rossdale

  • The Slap(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · as Jamie

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Periods.(2012)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Cymbeline(2014)

    as Posthumus

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Parts Per Billion(2014)

    as Erik

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Greetings from Tim Buckley(2012)

    as Jeff Buckley

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • East of Eden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Caleb

  • Margin Call(2011)

    as Seth Bregman

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Easy A(2010)

    as Woodchuck Todd

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Stepfather(2009)

    as Michael Harding

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Moth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Executive Producer

  • Forever Strong(2008)

    as Lars

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Gossip Girl(2007)

    Show 121 episodes · as Dan Humphrey

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Drive Thru(2007)

    as Van

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • John Tucker Must Die(2006)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Bedford Diaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 8 episodes · as Owen Gregory

  • The Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 13 episodes · as Sam Tunney

  • Debating Robert Lee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Matt's Debate Opponent

  • What I Like About You(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Jake

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Do Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 15 episodes · as Joel Larsen

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Trace Malone

  • The Nightmare Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Student (uncredited)

  • The Fluffer(2001)

    as Young Sean

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Brothers García (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Eddie Bauer

  • Daddio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Todd

  • Will & Grace(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Todd

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • NDA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • You Deserve Each Other (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Nicholas 'Nick' Rose

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles, 31 of them dated from 1992 to 2021; peak year 2010.

Biggest box office

Easy A (2010)

$75M worldwide

Highest rated

Margin Call (2011)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Gossip Girl (2007)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19922021

Peak 2010 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting32 of 33: 31 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score40thDirecting1 of 33: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 33: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s16 · 15 acting · 1 crew2010s11 · 11 acting · 1 crew2020s2 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 8% of 12 roles
0111

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Won an Independent Spirit Award in 2012.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Penn Badgley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 39th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Periods. (2012)

97th percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Margin Call (2011)

Midcredits 86th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Penn Badgley's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles4–78 · median 34 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles18–61 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles34–73 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles20–62 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles10–66 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Penn Badgley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Penn Badgley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Benaroya shares the most, 3.

Actors

Producers